Listed below are books relating to the Old Spanish Trail. Some of the books may be out of print but may be found at libraries or purchased from used or antiquarian book dealers.
To purchase a book:
In-print books can be purchased through through the Amazon.com link provided.
For out of print books, select the pre-filled search at AbeBooks.com to check availability.
Retail books are not available from OSTA except at OSTA annual conferences.
Books purchased from webpage links below provide financial support to the Old Spanish Trail Association (OSTA). Thank you for your support.
Arranged alphabetically, by author
Heritage of the Valley: San Bernardino's First Century
Beattie, George William and Beattie, Helen Pruitt
Hardcover, bibliography, index, maps, out of print
The Beattie's book is essential for understanding the history of the western end of the OST. The book, unfortunately, has long been out of print, both in the original and the reprint edition. Antiquarian dealers occasionally have copies at substantial cost. Some libraries have copies. The book provides a detailed account of the evolution of the various routes through the Cajon Pass and the settlements that lie south of the pass. The impact on settlement stability of New Mexican emigrants from Abiquiu is especially noteworthy.
Overland with Kit Carson: A Narrative of the Old Spanish Trail in '48
Brewerton, George Douglas
Soft cover, map, bibliography, index
Lt. Brewerton provides a lively account of travel over the Spanish Trail at a time when trail commerce was near a close. The account illustrates the many perils that beset travelers over this route from Santa Fe to California. Marc Simmons has written a fine introduction for the Bison Books edition that sets the context for the journey and gives some of its publishing history.
The Southwest Expedition of Jedediah S. Smith: His Personal Account of the Journey to California,1826 - 1827
Jedediah S. Smith and Brooks, George R. (Editor)
Paperback, bibliography, index, maps
This volume, a reprint of the out-of-print Arthur H. Clark volume, is the long-lost Smith diary that narrates the expedition that found the way from north east Utah past the Great Salt Lake and on to California via what subsequently became a major portion of the route of the OST. Smith's route and his map had a significant impact on later travelers. This volume and the earlier biographies by Maurice Sullivan and Dale Morgan provide most of what is known of this remarkable man. This book belongs in every library pertaining to southwestern history.
La Vereda: A Trail through Time
Colville, Ruth Marie
Paperback, bibliography, photos, maps, separate trail guide
Ruth Marie Colville and Helen Greene Blumenschein spent nearly 30 years jointly studying and recovering the route of Don Diego de Vargas 1694 foraging expedition through north central New Mexico. This expedition was made to obtain food for hungry colonists who had reoccupied New Mexico after the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The route traversed the east fork of the OST North Branch from Santa Fe north to southern Colorado and then returned via the west fork. This expedition sustained the colony and ensured its continued existence. This guide to the journey is wonderfully done.
In Search of the Spanish Trail: Santa Fe to Los Angeles, 1829 - 1848
Crampton, C. Gregory and Madsen, Steven K
Paperback, some 200 photos, bibliography, index and maps
This book is a distillation of about 50 years of research on the Old Spanish Trail by the late Dr. Crampton and about 20 years by Mr. Madsen. The book is an indispensable companion for travel over the trail. It has trail maps, short sections on trail history and a large number of photographs. It covers what the authors have identified as the main thread of the OST South Branch.
Gibbs Smith, Publisher would like to announce its plans to reprint this $29.95 paperback which has been out of print for several years. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this book, fill out the form below to reserve your copy. Proceeds will benefit the Old Spanish Trail Association.
Hardcover and softcover reprint, bibliography, index, map. out of print
The Hafen's book is the most fundamental reference on the Old Spanish Trail. Although somewhat dated, it remains the one book that any serious student of the trail must have. Unfortunately, it is out of print, although it can be obtained from antiquarian dealers from time to time. The book reviews the history of the trail, sets its historical context, includes much of the material found in the few specific contemporary references on the trail and its travelers, and provides chapters that confer substantial insight into the mechanics of moving goods on the backs of mules about 1200 miles through very forbidding terrain.
The Navajos in 1705: Roque Madrid's Campaign Journal
Hendricks, Rick and Wilson, John P. (Editors)
Hardcover and softcover reprint, out of print
Roque Madrid's campaign traveled a route that crossed and recrossed the future OST route in northern New Mexico. The present authors have painstakingly recovered the Madrid route to give an exciting account of this punitive expedition against the Navajos. The effort required to recover the Madrid route illustrates very well the difficulty in understanding the routes used in various parts of the OST. This is an excellent book.
Anza's 1779 Comanche Campaign
Kessler, Ron
Softcover, map, photos, bibliography
Ron Kessler has annotated Alfred Barnaby Thomas' translation of Juan Bautista de Anza's diary of his very successful 1779 campaign against Cuerno Verde and his band of Comanches. Kessler has traveled and reconstructed the Anza route. The notes allow contemporary travelers to visit the sites on the expedition's route and to understand the importance of this campaign to the New Mexico settlements. Anza's route included portions of the east and west forks of the OST North Branch.
Retracing the Old Spanish Trail - North Branch
Kessler, Ron
Softcover, bibliography, photos, index, maps
This book provides a detailed guide to the North Branch of the OST. This branch is less well known than the Southern Branch. The author lives near the west fork of the North Branch and has a detailed knowledge of all of the North Branch. He has given us an excellent account of the trail routes, features of interest along the routes and many capsule histories that allow modern travelers to find and enjoy retracing this under appreciated part of the OST.
Old Spanish Trail - North Branch - and its Travelers
Kessler, Ron
Softcover
This book contains a collection of writings by travelers on the OST.
Valley of Shining Stone: The Story of Abiquiu
Poling-Kempes, Lesley
Softcover, bibliography, photos, index, map
This is an interesting history of the pivotal community of Abiquiu at the eastern end of the OST. The author has lived in the Abiquiu area for many years and is well qualified to give us this account of the village itself, the Piedra Lumbre and Ghost Ranch. Abiquiu was very important both for travel over the OST and as a source of emigrants needed so badly in southern California. See you local book store for a copy.
Explorers, Traders, and Slavers: Forging the Old Spanish Trail 1678-1850
Sanchez, Joseph P.
Hardcover, maps, bibliography, index
Dr. Sanchez' book fills gaps in the history of the OST that were not covered in the Hafen's book. The early Spanish history of the OST is treated more thoroughly, particularly in the inclusion of the Rivera diaries which recount two journeys into Utah from Abiquiu in the 1760s. These travels were important to the 1776 Dominguez-Escalante expedition and to subsequent commercial ventures. Guides from these three efforts were active into the 1800s as participants in poorly documented expeditions that opened the part of the OST that runs from Santa Fe to the west slopes of the Wasatch Mountains. Sanchez also includes much more material about the thriving slave trade in Indian women and children that persisted into the 1850s.
The Old Spanish Trail Across the Mojave Desert
Steiner, Harold
Softcover, 58 maps, 45 photos, appendix, bibliography and index
This guide to the part of the OST that lies west of Paragonah, Utah includes an excellent overview of the history of the trail and detailed descriptions of the course of the trail. The trail's route is clearly marked on USGS maps so that it is easy to follow. Col. Steiner makes the assumption that the mule trail lies under the later wagon trace so that some parts of the route as mapped may vary from the mule trace. The route includes the main trail from Paragonah through Las Vegas, Nevada, Emigrant Pass, Resting Spring and Bitter Spring to Cajon Pass. This book is an indispensable companion for travel on the west end of the OST. Contact Col. Steiner at 702-458-1723 or email for orders or information.
The Dominguez-Escalante Journal: Their Expedition through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico in 1776
This translation (both Spanish and English versions are included) of the Dominguez-Escalante Journal is a considerable improvement over the earlier Bolton version published in the early 1950s. The Old Spanish Trail follows the Dominguez-Escalante route, to a degree, from Abiquiu, NM, to near the Utah-Colorado border and then is episodically intertwined with the OST elsewhere in Utah. This edition provides photographs and modern maps that add a great deal to the original description on this epic trek. Even so, see the copy of the Miera y Pacheco map in the Bolton edition to get a flavor of the state of knowledge of the OST geography in 1776.
Defending Eden: New Mexican Pioneers in the San Bernardino Valley
Vickery, Joyce Carter (J. C.)
Softcover, bibliography, photos, maps, out of print
This history of the settlement of Agua Mansa and La Placita on the Santa Ana River in Riverside, California, provides many details of San Bernardino Valley history. It complements the Beattie's book cited above. Emigrants from Abiquiu, New Mexico, settled in the Valley at the request of rancho owners. Abiquiu residents were experienced in defending against Indian raids and some were enticed with grants of lands to move west to defend the Valley. This history makes very clear their vital contribution to the settlement of southern California. The book helps to establish and clarify the role of the OST in supporting westward migration to California.
